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Use of software with known vulnerabilities in development

Need​

Mitigation of software vulnerabilities in development environments

Context​

  • Usage of Python 3.7 for developing Python applications
  • Usage of Django version 1.9.7 for web application development

Description​

Non compliant code​

# Django settings for myproject project.
import os

BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))

# SECURITY WARNING: keep the secret key used in production secret!
SECRET_KEY = 'd#6zr+6i1z^8k*5$^@z=hb5_6e0m#b&f8f1yv#7vj$7kzr#h3$'

# SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
DEBUG = True

ALLOWED_HOSTS = []

# Application definition
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'myapp',
    # Known vulnerable package
    'django==1.9.7' # This is a known vulnerable version of Django
]

MIDDLEWARE = [
    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
]

ROOT_URLCONF = 'myproject.urls'

TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'DIRS': [],
        'APP_DIRS': True,
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.debug',
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
            ],
        },
    },
]

WSGI_APPLICATION = 'myproject.wsgi.application'

In the code above, the Django framework is being used to build a web application. The settings for the application are defined in this file.

The vulnerability in this code lies in the use of a known vulnerable version of Django (1.9.7). This version of Django has several known security issues, including potential XSS attacks, SQL injections, and more. Using a version of a software with known vulnerabilities increases the risk of the application being exploited by attackers.

This is a common vulnerability in software development, often due to developers not being aware of the security issues in the versions of the software they are using, or due to the need for compatibility with other systems or components. However, it is a serious issue that can lead to significant security breaches. It is therefore important to always use the most recent and secure version of any software or library in an application.

Steps​

  • Identify the latest stable version of Django that does not have the known vulnerabilities.
  • Update the Django version in the 'INSTALLED_APPS' list to the identified secure version.
  • Run your tests to ensure that the update does not break any existing functionality.
  • If tests pass, commit the changes and push to the repository.
  • Ensure that all environments (development, staging, production) are using the updated version of Django.

Compliant code​

# Django settings for myproject project.
import os

BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))

# SECURITY WARNING: keep the secret key used in production secret!
SECRET_KEY = 'd#6zr+6i1z^8k*5$^@z=hb5_6e0m#b&f8f1yv#7vj$7kzr#h3$'

# SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
DEBUG = True

ALLOWED_HOSTS = []

# Application definition
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'myapp',
    # Updated to secure version of Django
    'django==3.2.7' # This is the latest secure version of Django
]

MIDDLEWARE = [
    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
]

ROOT_URLCONF = 'myproject.urls'

TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'DIRS': [],
        'APP_DIRS': True,
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.debug',
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
            ],
        },
    },
]

WSGI_APPLICATION = 'myproject.wsgi.application'

The original code was using a known vulnerable version of Django (1.9.7). This version of Django has known vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

To fix this vulnerability, the Django version was updated to the latest secure version (3.2.7). This version does not have the known vulnerabilities present in the older version.

After updating the Django version, it is important to run tests to ensure that the update does not break any existing functionality. If the tests pass, the changes can be committed and pushed to the repository.

Finally, it is crucial to ensure that all environments (development, staging, production) are using the updated version of Django. This will ensure that the system is secure across all environments.

References​

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